What is OSTEOARTHRITIS?

“I have arthritis” is a common saying in the clinic. The word ‘arthritis’ has become a general term that people use for joint pain, and is often surrounded by negative beliefs such that the world is going to crumble upon you. In fact, no – it is not the end of the world if you manage it properly.

What is OSTEOARTHRITIS?

Arthritis is a common term used to describe joint inflammation. Out of the people who have arthritis, 55.9% had osteoarthritis (OA) (ABS, 2013). OA may come with age and often affects the hips, knees and hands (Acheson et al., 2016). Besides the factor of ageing, your sports activities, muscle weakness and previous injury may also predispose you to developing OA (Kalunian et al., 2014).
Cartilage is the rubbery material between the end of two bones in a joint, and in OA, the cartilage begins to break down (Acheson et al., 2016; Fransen et al., 2014). The bones in the joint then start to rub against each other, causing pain. Moreover, the body tries to repair itself by inducing more bone growth, but instead of making it better, abnormal growth can become misshapen and make the joint unstable and more painful (Fransen et al., 2014).

What are the symptoms of OA?

Symptoms of OA may include:

Deep, aching pain

Stiff joint

Swelling

‘Creaking’ sounds or crepitus

Movement limitation (Fransen et , 2015; Loew et al., 2012)

How does physiotherapy improve my health when I have OA?

It is important to remember that although there has not been any cure for OA, physiotherapy is shown to be effective in reducing the intensity and frequency of the occasional flare-­‐ups of OA pain. By doing therapeutic exercises, you can gain more control over your pain through strengthening muscles and improving your fitness.

Cardiorespiratory fitness – Poor physical fitness is commonly reported in people with Improving your breathing and heart rate by doing low-­‐ impact aerobic exercises, such as walking, cycling and swimming, can make you feel less fatigued and able to do your daily tasks with less effort (Fernandes et al., 2013; Fransen et al., 2015). Research also shows that low-­‐ impact aerobic activities stimulate chemicals in the brain that help in reducing joint pain without putting your joints in too much load (Loew et al., 2012).